Hundreds Evacuated
During Orlando Hotel Fire
POSTED: 6:43 am EST March 27, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Hundreds of people were evacuated
from a hotel in a popular tourist area in Orlando
early Monday.
The blaze sent 60 firefighters to the hotel, WESH
2 News reported.
A piece of plastic foliage on an interior balcony
apparently caught fire around 1:30 a.m., and the blaze
spread quickly. Officials said the plastic caused
the fire to spread both up and down the interior balcony
between the third and ninth floors.
Firefighters said the hotel staff did a good job
evacuating the guests. Some staffers even grabbed
fire extinguishers and helped put out the flames
Firefighters responded to flames at the Renaissance
Hotel located at 6677 Sea Harbor Drive at about 1:45
a.m. Monday.
The flames were reportedly spread through the foliage
that decorated the balconies at the hotel.
Local 6 News reported there was some panic when the
hotel was evacuated
We were coming down the stairs and it seemed like
everyone was panicking," hotel guest Dwayne Hall
said.
"(Tourists) spent several hours in the cold
this morning with little more than their night clothes
on," Local 6 News reporter Jessica Sanchez said.
The fire was extinguished and hotel guests were allowed
back into their rooms several hours after the fire.
Most of the guests were sent to a large ballroom
rather than outside. They were given beverages and
blankets. The hotel was full because there are currently
three big conventions in town. Guests were allowed
back into their rooms after about 90 minutes.
None of the rooms was damaged and no one was hurt.
The state fire marshal is currently trying to figure
out what caused the fire in the plastic foliage.
Officials said there were about 16 hotel rooms damaged
by the fire. Most of the damage remained on the hotel
balconies.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. |
